The University of Oz
by BunnyGirlBlack
Summary: What would the Wizard of Oz movie be like if the dream occurred in the head of a nerdy college boy instead of a farm girl? This is my attempt at improving my writing/story telling skills while having some fun. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!
1. Chapter 1: The Not-So Social Network

The University of Oz

I've decided to do my own spin on the Wizard of Oz (who hasn't?) with my own characters. The protagonist, Derek, a socially-awkward college nerd, is on a desperate quest for his first girlfriend. Follow his story as he finds himself in a magical University filled with sexy party babes, slackers, an evil jock, and so much more. Each chapter will be relatively short, and it will most likely only span 7-10 chapters at most, as this is just something I'm putting together on my free time between work. This is my first attempt at a Fanfiction story, so I'd love some feedback! I know my writing can use a lot of improvement!

Hope you enjoy!

- Ann

WARNING: This story contains depictions of marijuana use and under-age alcohol consumption, as well as references to sexual assault. I believe that these topics are discussed subtly enough to give this story a T rating rather than M, but I figure I should warn you guys anyway.

**Chapter 1: The Not-So Social Network**

Its 10 PM on a Friday night as Derek sits diligently at his computer, obsessively clicking away. His prescription glasses sit in front of his baggy, tired eyes. The bridge of his nose red and indented from the pressure of the spectacles pressed up against it. His light-brown mop of hair rests as a frizzled mass on his head, as if someone had taken a sweaty wig and slapped it on his scalp. The hair by his forehead appears to be the only portion he cares to take care of, as it functions as a cover-up for his already-receding hairline.

While most other college juniors are out looking for a party, Derek spends his night desperately scavenging Facebook. He refreshes his news feed every ten seconds, each time hoping that a notification will somehow magically appear. Specifically the response of any one of the dozens of girls he had messaged earlier in the night, striking up conversation with a "hi there", "hey how are you?", or a "you doin anything tonight?" So far each attempt has had the same outcome, as the words "_Seen at 9:37 PM_, _Seen at 10:04 PM, Seen at 10:21 PM_" pop up across each open chat window with no sign of a response in sight.

"Maybe they're just thinking about the best way to respond" he thinks to himself, attempting to keep his spirits up. However in the back of his mind he knows the futility of his attempts. After all, this is the same thing he did last week, and it would have been what he did the week before that if he didn't decide to turn one of his computer games into a drinking game all by himself.

Usually he brushes off the failed attempts and moves on with his life, but this night is different. This is his last weekend at school before summer break. He knows that if he doesn't meet anyone now, he'll be spending another summer as "that single nerd who can't get a girl". His frustration escalates exponentially as each girl he tried to contact signs off. Sweat drips down his forehead, glistening in the glowing aura from the computer screen, which is the only source of light in his dark dorm room. As statuses from friends boasting about their night bombard his news feed, he begins to slam his fist on the desk.

Soon enough, out from nowhere comes a giant photo of Sabrina, a girl he fancies quite a bit. She is clearly wasted out of her mind judging by her disheveled appearance. Her stance is so crooked that she would undoubtedly be sprawled across the floor if it weren't for the fact that she is being held up. Holding her is a tall, muscular guy with perfect hair and a tight shirt showing off the logo of the school's football team. His left arm curls around Sabrina's back as his right arm holds up an empty bottle of vodka, most of which he had most likely convinced Sabrina to consume. His sinister grin toward the camera and the way he is clenching Sabrina is reminiscent of a hunter showing off the game he had just killed. The caption of the photo reads, "gonna be a good night!"

Derek rises to his feet.

"Rob!" he shouts through his teeth. He could recognize Rob's menacing grin anywhere, and the sight of him holding the one girl Derek thought he ever had a chance with is too much for him. For a split second he sees red. Unable to control his actions, he cocks his fist, and in one swift motion he flings it toward the screen. Before he has a chance to think about what he's doing, his fist collides with the brand new, 27-inch screen he had just purchased. He instantly brings his hand to his chest, holding it in pain while shouting obscenities to himself. He stumbles back, trips on his chair, and knocks himself into his bookcase. Heavy books begin to rain down beside him as he slumps to the ground. He has no time to recover as one particularly beefy book falls right on his head, knocking him out cold.

It its 11:28 PM on a Friday, and Derek is lying motionless in a pile of his own books in a dark room.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to the Campus

The University of Oz

**Chapter 2: Welcome to the Campus**

Derek's vision slowly returns as he gains consciousness. Much to his confusion, he is no longer inside his ill-lit dorm room, but is now lying on the grass outside. Through his blurred vision he can see a large crowd of people standing around him, gawking as if they have just seen someone fall from the sky. The shock of this scene causes Derek to rise to his feet and shake his head.

"Wh…where the hell am I?" he asks aloud as he continues to process what is happening. As his vision finally returns to normal he gets a better view of his surroundings. He is in the main courtyard of his campus, but the buildings look different. They look taller and more…fantastic. Rather than the standard brick construction, they tower high to the sky with breath-taking spires that come to a needlepoint at the top. The colors of the grass and sky are exaggerated, causing Derek's now-sensitive eyes to squint heavily. Footballs and frisbees are scattered all over the bright green grass, as if everyone had just stopped using them and let them fall to the ground. He focuses on the people surrounding him, realizing that they have not said a word since he regained his vision. He tries his best to identify any of them, but he knows so few people on his campus that there is not much of a point.

Derek had never tried acid before, but he imagines that the effects would be similar to this. He starts to believe that someone had drugged him and that he must have just run across campus making a fool of himself. With a sudden gasp he quickly checks to make sure his clothes are still on, thankful to find that they are still covering his frail body. Finally, someone from the silent crowd speaks.

"Did that really just happen?" asks the random student.

"Guys, the Wicked Jock of the East Campus is gone!" Suddenly everyone in the crowd bursts into a deafening roar of applause. Derek scratches his head, feeling the sore bump where the book had knocked him out. He turns around to see where the student was looking, and is shocked to find a rather grizzly scene. There is a crater in the ground, roughly two meters in diameter, with scraps of clothes and what appears to be burnt paper scattered around it. He takes a look in the crater to see two smoldering sports cleats lying in the center, as if whoever was just wearing them was vaporized.

He would be terribly concerned if not for the fact that he's already stunned at what is happening in the first place. After all, a large crowd of college students are apparently cheering over something he did, which is a foreign situation for someone like him. The crowd circles around Derek and the smoking crater.

"We don't know who you are or where you came from, but we are forever in your debt," says another random student.

"Ok wait, who are you and what's going on?" Derek asks with a somewhat shaky voice.

"We are the freshmen of the University of Oz," says the student, motioning toward the rest of the giddy crowd. Just as he is about to explain further, the freshmen all begin to part, forming a pathway. Through the opening walks an athletic looking fellow wearing a white football uniform. He approaches the scene and inspects the crater with a smile.

"Wow, you guys were right. He's a goner," he says with light laughter in his voice. The white-clad athlete turns to Derek and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, how does it feel to be a legend?" he asks. Derek's shock and confusion temporarily fades after being called a "legend". No one has ever referred to him in such a positive light before.

"It…feels great?" he says. "Actually can you explain what the f..."

The athlete cuts him off. "You've just destroyed the Wicked Jock of the East Campus," he explains. "He was notorious for picking on freshman, beating them up and stealing their girlfriends. He was just about to romp through the courtyard to wreak some havoc when we saw a mass of giant books falling from the sky. One of those books, about the size of a human, landed right smack on top of the evil jock in a magnificent blast of fire. It was such a fitting end for someone who had never picked up a book in his life." He motions toward the remains and continues, "he was the most feared jerk on this side of campus, and now all that's left are his cleats. Well done!"

While Derek isn't thrilled to be credited for killing someone, the over joyous attitude of those around him truly makes him feel like a hero.

"And who are you?" he asks the mysterious athlete.

"I'm the Good Jock of the North," he explains, standing proudly. The females in the large group of freshman quickly let out a sigh of endearment for the muscular man.

"I didn't know 'good' jocks existed," says Derek with a bit of resentment.

"That's just because you only notice the bad ones. Evil jocks are narcissistic, have pompous attitudes, show off their muscles, and treat women like dirt. Not all of us are like that, though! Some of us are in it for the sheer fun of sports, the teamwork, and the exercise, rather than the bloated ego," he explains.

The cheers and applause coming from the freshman quickly fade as a small explosion rocks the terrain. Black smoke spreads across the courtyard from the source of the explosion. As the smoke clears, another tall, muscular figure walks towards the scene. He is wearing a black football uniform, complete with the form-fitting pants, jersey, shoulder pads, helmet, and cleats. He removes his helmet to reveal his perfect face, shaking his head so that his full head of hair falls neatly back into place. Derek recognizes the face immediately.

"Rob…" he thinks to himself.

The tall man, who looks suspiciously like Rob, steps up to the crater.

"Hah," he laughs, "killed by a book. What a scrub," he continues to mutter as he turns to the crowd. The freshmen shake in fear.

"Alright, who did this?" asks the imposing athlete.

"This guy right here!" the Good Jock of the North says proudly, smacking Derek hard on the back.

"What? Oh, no, no I didn't do this…" Derek hurriedly speaks.

"Nonsense!" says the Good Jock, "and he'll do the same to you if you don't get out of here!"

The newly arrived football player turns to Derek and speaks.

"You're going to pay for this, big time," he says as he begins to reach for the cleats in the crater. Just before he can pick them up, the Good Jock waves his hand and the cleats appear in Derek's hands. He looks at them in confusion, turning them upside down to inspect them. As he does this, the residual ash that used to be the Jock of the East poured out onto the ground.

"Give those to me!" the new jock shouts. Derek timidly backs away. The Good Jock stands in front of Derek and whispers,"put those cleats on, he won't be able to get them off".

Derek shakes what little ash is left from the cleats and puts them on, hastily tying them up. The dark football player approaches him and tries to grab his feet, causing him to rear back in pain.

"Gah! You and your stupid magic," he snaps at the Good Jock.

"You're lucky I have a big game coming up in fifteen minutes, otherwise you'd both be toast," he says as he backs away. In an instant, the ground shakes with a second explosion, black smoke pours through the air, and the football player is gone. The freshmen come out of hiding in relief.

"Who was that?" Derek asks. He recognized Rob's face, but he figured he'd ask since he didn't know what was going on otherwise.

"That was the Wicked Jock of the West Campus," replies the Good Jock. "He's even worse than the one you vaporized with a book. He bullies anyone that isn't as good as him, and he uses his stunning looks to trick girls into getting far more drunk than they had planned so that he can take advantage of them," he explains.

"Figures," replies Derek.

"So what brings you to the Campus of Oz?" asks the Good Jock.

"Well, I _was_ just scavenging Facebook, looking for a girl to hang out with, when I saw a picture of Rob...I mean, the Wicked Jock of the West Campus. I got so mad that I punched my screen, fell backwards and got knocked out by my book collection. Now I'm here…" replies Derek, realizing the absurdity of the situation as he's explaining it. The Good Jock smiles.

"You lookin' for a girlfriend?" he asks.

"Yeah," says Derek, "I kind of…haven't had one before." At that moment a faint giggle is heard across the entire freshmen audience, who have been watching this whole ordeal unfold.

"I've already had 4!" says one freshman, "and I've had 18!" says another.

"Alright, wow, for the love of god," mutters Derek.

"Don't worry about them," laughs the Good Jock. "Most of those freshmen like to lie about their history anyway." He places his hand on Derek's shoulder. "Look man, if you want to get a girlfriend so badly, just talk to the Professor of Romance. Her office is in the center of the university."

"How do I get to her?" Derek asks excitedly.

"Simple, just follow the main campus road to the center. There are signs everywhere."

"Oh" says Derek, disappointed.

"What?" asks the Jock.

"You don't have like, a cool colorful road that winds across mystical lands leading to a majestic city made of emerald?" asks Derek.

"Huh? No why the hell would we have that. This is a campus, dude," replies the Jock.

"Right, never mind. Thanks for the help!" Derek responds as he starts his walk down the road. He isn't used to walking in the cleats, so he stumbles a bit, but soon enough he regains his composure.

"Good luck!" shouts the Jock as he rejoins with the freshman to party over the demise of the Wicked Jock of the East Campus. Derek pushes onward down the path to the center of the university. The bizarre nature of this whole situation is now overcome by his excitement to finally get a girlfriend. As he travels further away from the courtyard, the shouts, hoots, and whistles of all those he just met fade away. Silence sets in as he wanders down a long path through the woods, and Derek is reminded just how alone he is.


	3. Chapter 3: The Slacker

The University of Oz

**Chapter 3: The Slacker**

The path winds through thick woods for what feels to Derek like hours. Apparently the people who attend this university don't mind walking several miles between classes. He takes a moment to rest on a large rock, ashamed that he can't even walk a few miles without becoming fatigued. While catching his breath, he starts to notice a pungent smell in the air. It sort of reminds him of the smell that comes from the stairwells of his dorm building, the smell that comes from locked bedrooms that are pulsing with the sound of psychedelic 70's rock, and the smell that comes from hidden off-road paths in the middle of the night. The hazy smog floating not far from him confirms his guess as to what the smell is.

He stands up and slowly walks towards the source, hoping to find another person so he can ask how much further he has to walk. Through the thick smog he begins to see the shape of a young man with baggy cargo pants and an equally baggy t-shirt. A beanie is fit loosely over his long, shaggy blonde hair. The young man doesn't notice him at first, but when Derek accidentally breaks a small twig under his cleats, the stranger gasps. He fumbles about, trying to conceal what he had just been doing, swearing and coughing as he drops a plastic bag, a wad of paper, and a glass object all over the ground. He swings at the air as if hoping to clear it of the smoke without Derek noticing.

"Uh…hi," says Derek, unsure of how to approach the stranger.

"I'm just on my way back, man. No trouble," says the stranger in between coughs.

"It's alright, I'm new here. I just need directions," replies Derek, hoping to gain the stranger's trust.

"Ahh man, I thought you were public safety! WHHEEEWWWWWWW," the young man says in relief. He then starts to chuckle a little as he gathers everything that fell.

"Nope. My name's Derek. I'm looking for the Professor of Romance. Any idea how far away she is?" asks Derek.

"Oh, man, yeah she's like, I don't know, like some ways that way," replies the young man as he points in the general direction of the road they're on. He continues, "if you just…keep walking, I think you'll get to her eventually. But hey man, you want a hit?" He raises the glass object up to Derek. "They call me the Slacker, by the way," he proclaims.

"Uh, no thanks," replies Derek. He had never tried smoking anything in his life, and he doesn't feel like starting now. In fact, he always avoided people like the Slacker because he assumed they were dull, unintelligent, and would just make fun of him for never doing drugs. However he doesn't get that feeling from this guy. He isn't sure if it's the smog around him or the friendliness of the Slacker, but Derek begins to feel relaxed.

"Anyway, I don't want to lose track of time so I'm gonna keep walking. Nice to meet you though," says Derek as he once again starts to walk.

"Wait, hold on man," says the Slacker before Derek can get too far. "Do you mind if I tag along?" he asks.

Derek doesn't think they have too much in common, but he figures it's better than walking alone through these dark woods.

"No, I don't mind. Any reason?" he asks.

"This professor, she's pretty good at like, just about anything dude, not just with relationships and what not. Rumor has it she can like, do _anything_. I've been meaning to see if she can help me. I need to like, I don't know man, kind of get motivated or something. I think I'm a pretty intelligent dude, but I'm still like, failing all my classes, man. I'm just not motivated. I haven't even gone to see her cause I'm just, you know, not motivated to do that and all," explains the Slacker.

"Fair enough, let's go!" responds Derek. The two of them continue down the road together. All along the way, the Slacker talks to Derek about countless mind-boggling philosophical concepts about the relationship between the Earth and space, the fabric of reality, and the flow of time. Derek had always thought that these slacker types always talked about nonsense, but he was intrigued. He could tell that underneath the apathetic, spaced-out exterior is a thoughtful and intelligent man who only needs a little motivation.

The two of them continue on. At this point the sun has gone down completely and the woods are practically pitch black. The fact that such a long, dark pathway would exist on a working college campus is puzzling to Derek, but he's just glad to have some company.


	4. Chapter 4: The Endless Party

The University of Oz

**Chapter 4: The Endless Party**

Derek and the Slacker make their way through the woods, sharing thought-provoking conversation the whole way. Eventually the Slacker asks the question Derek has been trying to avoid.

"So dude, like, why do you need to see the professor anyway?" asks the Slacker.

"I heard she can find me a girlfriend," replies Derek. "I guess you can say I'm not the best when it comes to the ladies…"

"Ahhhh man, I see. I kinda know how it feels, sorta. I've got a girl back at home, but home is so far away. I'm a sophomore now, and like, I've seen her once since I started going here, man," explains the Slacker.

"Oh wow that sucks, but you guys are still together?" asks Derek.

"Yeah dude! It does suck, though, I mean, we just kinda talk on the phone and stuff, and then when we aren't talking I just feel pretty like, lonely, you know? I miss her a lot, which is like, why I just sort of play video games and, well you know, inhale some of that mother earth," says the Slacker in a rather depressed, melancholy tone.

After a while they begin to hear the sounds of laughter and music pouring through the trees.

"What's that?" asks Derek. The Slacker slowly nods his head, smiles, and replies,

"Dude…chicks…"

The sounds grow louder as they make their way to a large clearing, in the middle of which is a modest, two-level house. Loud bass notes rattle the walls while the sounds of girly laughter and cheering seep through the windows. The Slacker starts to walk up toward the front door, much to the disapproval of Derek. On the door is a sign with some Greek letters.

"Hey, let's stay on track," Derek urges.

"Aw, come on man. Maybe you can get a girl in here?" says the Slacker. Derek really isn't one for parties. The only college parties he's ever been to were the ones his friends from home forced him to go to when they visited. All he remembers from them are being made fun of by macho men for preferring fruity, "girly" drinks over beer, and standing in the corner while everyone else danced wildly to music he didn't like. Even so, he reluctantly follows behind the Slacker.

Once they approach the door, which is vibrating from the loud music playing inside, the Slacker turns to Derek, gives a shrug, and starts knocking and ringing the doorbell. Derek steps back and turns around, embarrassed that he's even going through with this, hoping that whoever answers might possibly think he has nothing to do with the Slacker.

After a few minutes of knocking and bell ringing, the music shuts off. In an instant, the clanks of bottles being hidden and the quiet hisses of girls shushing each other is all that can be heard. Soon enough, footsteps approach the front door, and it opens barely far enough for a girl to peek her head out. She silently stares at the Slacker with an inquisitive look, while also obviously attempting to look innocent. After a few awkward seconds of no words being exchanged, the Slacker clears his throat.

"Ahem, _cough..._uh…hi…" he manages to say. At this point, Derek has slowly wandered so far from the front door that the girl has to squint to see him behind the Slacker. Without saying a word, she closes the door in his face. Just as the Slacker assumes they were rejected, they hear the girl call out,

"It's just some nerd and a stoner, turn the music up!"

The girls cheer as the music begins again, and the clickity-clack of bottles and cans coming out from hiding resonate through the air. The door flies open, this time all the way, and the same girl greets the two wanderers with enthusiasm.

"Welcome to Omicron Zeta! The University of Oz's only sorority!" the girl announces. The Slacker turns around and grabs Derek, pulling him back up the stoop and through the front door. Once inside, the guys are greeted with rooms packed with gorgeous women who are dancing wildly and taking shots left and right. The Slacker and Derek are immediately bombarded by several different girls offering shot glasses full of various mixtures of tequila and vodka.

"NO THANKS, NOT TONIGHT," shouts Derek, failing to overpower the music. Either the girls don't hear him, or they don't care, as they practically force the colorful liquids down his throat. He looks over to the Slacker, watching him down a couple of shots as well. The girls then pull the two of them further into the house, and they are thrown into the rowdy dance party within.

Derek struggles to keep his glasses on as he is caught in the rapid movement of the crowd. He frantically looks around, trying to find the Slacker and tell him that they should leave, but he has no idea where he went. After a few minutes he notices that same smell from the woods, and smoke coming out of the cracks in the bathroom door. He knows that he is on his own at this point.

"I THINK I SHOULD GET GOING," he tries to shout to the girls around him. Being surrounded by so many pretty women makes him nervous, and the obnoxiously loud music puts him on edge. The girls simply ignore his shouts.

"REALLY, I SHOULD GO," he tries again, still with no response. The girls continue to dance and drink. He starts to wonder what he has gotten into. This seems to him like a sorority house that literally never stopped partying. In fact, as he skims the crowd with his eyes, he can start to see the physical toll all of this partying has had on everyone. Their eyes are baggy with sleeplessness, clothes torn and unwashed, and many are pale with dehydration. The kitchen sink is overflowing with dirty dishes, and the floors are practically lined with empty bottles of vodka and mixers. It becomes clear to him that they really _don't ever stop partying_.

At this point Derek begins to panic. He starts to worry about that Wicked Jock that threatened him earlier, and gets a creeping feeling that he may know where he is. He has been beaten up by jocks in the past, but never in a strange, foreign and seemingly magical land. With few options left, he decides to ask the girls about the Wicked Jock, and what he should do.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE WICKED JOCK OF THE WEST CAMPUS?" he shouts. Immediately every girl stops dancing. The music is shut off within seconds and everyone turns to look at Derek. A light murmur is heard among the houseful of girls. One of them steps up to him.

"What did you just say?" she asks. Derek shakily replies,

"The Wicked Jock…do you know anything about him? I…I think he's going to kill me or something."

The girls collectively gasp.

"We don't talk about him around here," the girl sternly replies.

"Why not?" asks Derek. Again, the girls begin to murmur. The girl becomes visibly angry.

"None of your business. You work for him, don't you?" she snaps.

"Wait, what? No I…" Derek tries to respond but he is cut off by the angry crowd. In an instant they start to attack him, grabbing at his shirt in an attempt to wrestle him to the ground. He is so dizzy from the alcohol that he has no chance of fighting back as he is stumbles over himself. Just when he thinks it's all over, the girls all start to cough uncontrollably as dense smoke fills the room. Derek looks up to see that the bathroom door has been opened, releasing all of the built up smoke from the inside. The Slacker comes running out through the smog, grabbing Derek by the shirt to get him off the ground.

"What the hell did you do, man? Come on, let's go," says the Slacker as he get's Derek back on his feet. Together they hastily make their way back to the front door as the girls try to grab at them through the fog. They reach the front stoop and practically fall down the steps to the front yard. Derek is now nauseous from the shots and coughing from the smoke.

"I don't know what happened…I just asked them about the Jock," he exclaims.

"Well, I don't know man, they don't seem too happy about that. Let's go," says the Slacker as they make their way back to the path. Before they get there, however, they hear the voice of one of the girls.

"Wait up!" she shouts. "Don't worry, let me come with you, please!"

The boys stop to turn to her. Running towards them is a pretty Asian girl with dark hair. Like most of the other girls in the house, her clothes are all torn and her eyes look tired and baggy.

"My name is Jade," she continues. "I can't stand it in there anymore…I need to get out."

"Nice to meet you, Jade. I'm Derek, and this is someone I just met who goes by the _Slacker_," he responds nervously. "You seem to hold your liquor well," he observes.

"Yeah, well, we've been partying for so long, I think my body has grown used to it," replies Jade. As they speak, the door slams shut behind them and the music of the party continues.

"What's the deal with this place, anyway?" asks Derek. "Why don't you guys stop?"

"I don't know. As the stress of our majors grew and grew, we just partied harder and harder. Now it's at the point where we literally don't want to stop. It's like the more we party, the longer we can push responsibility away," responds Jade.

"And, the Jock…why did that just happen?" Derek continues, hesitant to bring up the evil Jock again. Jade sighs and explains,

"They're all paranoid because of his history. The Wicked Jock of the West Campus is the worst there is. Our parties are like a gold mine for him. Sometimes he'll show up with an army of jocks and completely take over. That's why we had to quiet down when you first showed up. He'll storm in and scout the crowd for the girls he deems the most attractive and essentially kidnap them. Some of them manage to escape him, while most are never seen again. It's rumored that he takes them back to his dorm, which is practically a castle, and locks them up to use them for…well…you know…sexual desires."

"That's terrible," replies Derek, taken aback at how horrible this Jock really is.

"Yeah man that guy's a dick," the Slacker abruptly adds.

"Anyway, I just want to stop this partying once and for all. Where are you guys going?" asks Jade.

"Well, we're headed for someone known as the _Professor_. I heard that she's a Professor of Romance, and can help me get a girlfriend. The Slacker here is hoping he can get some motivation from her," replies Derek. While he's speaking, Jade suddenly grabs at her head.

"Owwwww, oh my God, what is happening?" she cries. The boys look on with concern as she sits herself down on the ground, holding her head tighter.

"My head, it's killing me! Oh man I feel horrible!" she continues. "This is the longest I've gone without partying…I think the hangover is catching up to me."

"…it's been 5 minutes," responds Derek.

"I told you, we've been partying for a long, long time," she continues. "5 minutes of non-partying for us is unheard of." She pauses as she leans over and begins to gag. The guys step back in disgust while she vomits what seems like a bucket load of various colored liquids.

"Ok…" she manages to say during a quick break in her spewing. "Maybe I should see the professor about sobering up…"

Derek and the Slacker give each other of look of disgust, then proceed to help Jade up from the ground.

"Come on," says Derek. "I think you should come with us."

Jade slowly makes her way to her feet, still holding her head. She resists the urge to continue vomiting as the three of them make their way back to the path in the woods and away from the loud sorority house behind them. As they continue down the lone pathway, a tall, dark, muscular figure stands creepily in the woods nearby, watching their every move.


	5. Chapter 5: Quiet in the Library

The University of Oz

**Chapter 5: Quiet in the Library**

The trio weaves their way through the dense woods, stopping only to let Jade spew out bits of the ridiculous quantities of alcohol she had consumed over the last few weeks. Daylight approaches as they near the academic side of campus. The thick carapace of leaves begins to break apart as the majestic buildings with towering spires come into view across a field. Exhausted, all three of them plop themselves down on the grass just by the edge of the forest, facing the beautiful structures in the distance.

"So, is that where this professor is?" Derek manages to ask between breaths, pointing toward the buildings.

"Yeah, dude…pretty sure," replies the Slacker.

"Guys…please…not so loud," says Jade as she grabs her pounding head. The other two turn to her and share a look of mild concern mixed with amusement. The bright orange glow of the sun burns across the horizon, slowly growing larger as the night fades. After a brief rest, the three of them rise back to their feet and continue through the dew-covered grass. A few more minutes of walking brings them to the front of the academic side of campus. They step through the stone pillars and find themselves in a maze of crooked buildings.

"Does anyone actually know where the professor is?" asks Derek. Both Jade and the slacker reply almost simultaneously,

"Not a clue."

Most of the lights are off in all of the buildings due to it being the early hours of the day. Derek spots one building that appears to be occupied. A sign on top of the door reads, "Emerald Library".

"Let's just go in there and ask," he says, motioning toward the building. They quietly walk through the double doors, looking around for anyone that may be able to help them. Jade almost immediately spots a vacant couch by a bookshelf, plops herself down in a fetal position and closes her eyes. The Slacker finds a few books about space and starts looking through them, getting lost in the text. Derek sighs and continues his search for whoever can help them. He notices a lone light in an adjacent room and heads toward it. He navigates through the countless rows of books, arriving at a small opening in the center with a few tables. The only person here is a girl seated at one of the tables, her head buried deep within a large book. Derek approaches her.

"Excuse me, uh…..hi," he nervously squeaks.

The girl doesn't acknowledge him. She only lifts here head to shift her focus to a pad of paper beside the book, rapidly scribbling down what appears to be some alien language to Derek. He tries again.

"Hello, I um, I have a question…sorry to bother you…"

This time the girl slams her pencil down with an aggravated and abrupt sigh.

"Yes?" she asks, clearly annoyed.

"Do…do you know where the Professor of Romance is?" he asks.

"Romance? You mean the Professor of Oz?" replies the girl.

"Oh, whatever she's called, I just need to talk—"

"In the Hall of Classrooms," interrupts the girl, who immediately begins writing again. Derek is taken off guard by her frantic state. He knows that he should leave her alone and continue onward, but his curiosity gets the best of him.

"Thanks…why are you doing so much work so early in the morning?" he asks. At this point the girl slams her pencil even harder and glares up at Derek. He can tell that she is a very pretty girl, even though her brown hair is mangled from the countless hours of clenching it out of frustration, and her blue eyes seem glazed with a dull tint, most likely from the time she spends in the library.

"Listen. I have seven exams to study for, four presentations to give, eight club interviews…" she continues on as she rises to her feet. She's wearing a modest, grey sweater and a pair of pajama pants, as if she had just crawled out of bed.

"…six speeches to give, and you are distracting me!" she finishes. Stunned, Derek slowly begins to turn around.

"Sorry…" he mutters before he heads toward the door. Before he reaches it, he hears her plop back down in her seat as she starts sobbing.

"I just, I just can't do it all," she says through her tears, speaking more to the air around her than directly toward Derek. Feeling partially responsible for her breakdown, Derek turns back to her.

"Why are you doing so much?" he asks. The girl pauses between her gasps and cries, trying to compose herself. She is clearly embarrassed that someone has to see her like that. Finally reaching a point of self control, she calmly breathes out and begins to speak.

"I don't know what it is. There's just so much that I want to accomplish, but I can't figure out a way to do it all."

Derek lets out a shy grin and holds his hand out.

"Derek," he says. The girl sniffles one more time and looks up at him with her red, teary eyes.

"Vicky," she says while lightly grabbing hold of his hand. Derek is surprised with himself that he was able to become acquainted with this girl so easily. It's as if this strange land has somehow given him more confidence.

"I'm trying to find the Professor of Oz with a few friends I just met. We all have some issues we think she can help with. Why don't you come along?"

Vicky turns back toward her books.

"I can't…there's just too much to do. How can she help me anyway?" she asks.

"I don't know. Frankly I don't even know how she can help me, but apparently she can do anything," responds Derek.

"What's your problem?" asks Vicky curiously. Derek sighs.

"Well, I'm looking for a girlfriend…never had one," he says with a bit of shame. Vicky lets out a little grin.

"I think a sweet guy like you should be able to do just fine," she says. Derek laughs nervously at her claim, yet he knows she's just saying that to be nice.

"Anyway, you should come. I think anything is better than sobbing alone in a school library at sunrise in your pajamas," Derek says with a smile. Vicky thinks for a moment before giving in.

"Alright…fine," she says as she throws her books into her backpack and they head out the door. Derek finally manages to find the Slacker, who is still mesmerized by the space and quantum physics section, and motions for him to follow. They then return to the couch by the entrance to wake Jade up, much to her dismay.

"Guys, this is Vicky," Derek announces. "She's gonna tag along too. I think the Professor can help her not be so hard on herself."

The Slacker and Jade greet Vicky and introduce themselves. The four of them leave the library and continue down the seemingly endless maze of crooked buildings with Vicky's guidance, in search for the Hall of Classrooms.

Unbeknownst to them, the tall, shadowy figure of the Wicked Jock watches them from a building top.

"Oh, this is too great," he mutters to himself. "I'm going to have some fun with them."


	6. Chapter 6: Going Up

The University of Oz

**Chapter 6: Going Up**

The narrow, zig-zag roads of the academic side of campus take their toll on the group. Even while Vicky knows the way to go, she can't help but get confused every now and then, worrying everyone with her hesitation at every turn.

"Shouldn't be much further," she states. Derek, the Slacker, and Jade follow closely behind. The sight of all the crooked and twisted buildings makes Jade queasy, and she has to stop every few minutes to spew.

"I find it hard to believe you still have alcohol in your system," Derek remarks. He shares a quiet laugh with the rest of the gang. Suddenly, Vicky comes to a halt.

"Aha!" She exclaims as she points to the large sign in front of them that reads, "Hall of Classrooms". Through the entrance is a path surrounded by strange, dome-like buildings that appear to be made out of crystal. A gigantic building sits on the far end of the path. It is in the shape of a stretched pyramid, larger at the base and coming to a point at the top, sort of like a giant spike. The height of the building could easily rival that of any of the tallest structures in the world…or Derek's world at least.

"That's it. That's her building," says Vicky excitedly.

"Dude, uh, no way. I'm not going up there guys. You have fun," says the Slacker.

"Afraid of heights?" asks Derek.

"Nah…well, sort of. I kind of like, freak out and get all nauseous," responds the Slacker as Jade continues to vomit in the background.

"Can't be worse than her," Vicky says as she points to Jade.

"Listen…you guys try filling your body with nothing but alcohol for weeks and stopping cold turkey. It's…not…" Jade coughs, "fun…" she manages to say before sitting up against a wall and hiding her head between her knees. Derek grows impatient.

"Alright well, Jade, she should be able to help you with that hangover. And Slacker, she should—" he cuts himself off. "Is _Slacker_ really the only name you go by? What's your name?"

The Slacker hesitates for a while, before unwillingly muttering, "…Clarence". Jade then bursts out laughing and says,

"Clarence the Slacker! Reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine…or…or…Bob the Builder…or…"

"Or Jade the Alcoholic?" responds the Slacker.

"Um, excuse me, stoner? You don't even socialize with people. You just sit in your smoke-filled room all day and listen to music!" snaps Jade.

"Which is better than ruining my liver!" shouts the Slacker. Jade becomes increasingly angry.

"My liver is none of your business!" yells Jade.

"And my choices are none of yours! You've been holding us back, man…complaining this whole time about your damn head, when it's your own fault!" the Slacker responds.

Derek feels overwhelmed by the tension and puts his hand to his face as he starts walking towards the tall building. Vicky notices Derek's frustration and chimes in.

"GUYS! Quit it! Both of you shut-up!" she yells. "Derek is trying to help us all and you're just pointlessly arguing. I don't agree with either of your lifestyles but I also don't know what it's like to be in your shoes. We all clearly have some problems and we should help each other. Jade, you appear to party way too much, going by your currently decrepit state. Clarence…I mean, Slacker, you seem to smoke a lot and not care to ever get anything done. I'm a terrible overachiever who hates herself anytime she fails," she turns to Derek, "and Derek is just trying to find a good companion."

Derek looks back at her and gives a subtle smile. Vicky continues, "but we can try to fix all of that if we pick ourselves up and get to the top of this ridiculously huge tower."

The Slacker and Jade look at each other for a moment, bitterly, and then look back to Vicky.

"Fair enough," replies Jade.

"Alright, fine…" says the Slacker.

The three of them join Derek and walk to the front entrance to the tower, stepping through the main doors. Inside, the walls look as though they are made out of emerald. Their shiny green hue almost blinds the group. Their footsteps echo heavily across the hard, reflective floor, and are lost in the twenty foot high ceiling. Across the way are the doors to a large elevator, and just before the elevator sits a desk with a security guard. As they slowly approach the guard, he looks at them and asks,

"Do you all have an appointment?"

Derek decides to speak for all of them.

"Um…no. We were just hoping to see the Professor of Oz."

"No one sees her without an appointment," responds the guard in a condescending tone.

"How did we not predict this would happen?" Jade asks the gang. Vicky steps up to the guard.

"Ahem, my name is Victoria Peterson. Star student of this university for the past three years. The Professor personally requested that I meet her today for…uh..." she looks at the large clock on the wall, "breakfast."

The guard laughs, "decent try, but no. I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave."

Derek looks at his new friends in disappointment. Everyone has come so far to get so little, and he has no idea what to do. Before he has a chance to say anything, the Slacker steps in front of him.

"Get ready to run, dudes," he says as he takes out his glass apparatus and a lighter.

"Is that what I think it is?" asks the guard angrily. The Slacker proceeds to put it up to his mouth and light the contents, inhaling longer than anyone has seen him inhale before. Taking the hint, the other three make a run for the elevator. The guard, more distracted by a student smoking right in front of him, begins to leap over the counter to grab the Slacker. Just as he's about to tackle him, the Slacker exhales an enormous cloud of smoke, completely blinding the guard as he hacks and coughs, stumbling backwards.

"Hurry up!" shouts Derek as the elevator doors begin to close. The Slacker looks away from the struggling guard, and then quickly dashes toward the elevator. He dives through the doors just in time as they close tight. Everyone breathes a heavy sigh of relief as Derek pushes the only button in the elevator, which is simply labeled, "Professor of Oz".

"Okay…I still absolutely do not agree with your lifestyle choices, but that…was…awesome," says Vicky as she extends her arm to help the Slacker up.

"Yeah, pretty risky but it paid off," days Derek.

"It was okay I guess…" says Jade, focusing more on the incredible view behind them all, as one wall of the elevator is made of glass, allowing them to see the outside. She clenches her stomach. "Oh man this is not going to go well for me."

The Slacker gets back to his feet. "Thanks, guys. I don't know what came over me, man. I just…uh…" he notices how high they've gone and quickly turns to a corner. "Just tell me when this damn ride is over."

The elevator is about as large as a small classroom. Jade and the Slacker are now sitting in their own separate corners, away from the glass looking out to the campus. Vicky stares out at the view with fascination, and Derek stands closer to the center, lost in his own thoughts. Once again the sheer ridiculousness of his current situation sets in. He hasn't considered why he's here since before he started meeting these new friends. Everything seems too vivid to be a dream, and he feels too in control of himself to have been drugged. He tries to ward off the confusion by reminding himself that he's about to talk to someone who can get him a girlfriend, but it only helps temporarily. He decides to walk up and join Vicky in her sight-seeing. They both stand together for several seconds in silence, until Derek turns to her to speak.

"Hey. Thanks for, well, you know…everything you said down there…I appreciate the help."

Vicky turns her head a tiny bit, as if just to get a slightly better view of Derek in the corner of her eye.

"Don't worry about it," she says, and then continues to gaze at the ever-expanding landscape before them. They are at least ninety stories up at this point.

"Really, though. No one ever sticks up for me like that. Especially not anyone as pretty—" Derek is silenced by a sudden change in acceleration of the elevator accompanied by a loud screeching noise, as the elevator slowly comes to a halt. The Slacker uncovers his eyes and Jade stands back up. They all look at each other, and suddenly the sound of the door motor kicks in. The doors sluggishly and smoothly separate, revealing a brilliant light. Finally, they open all the way and the low hum of the motor stops. The gang steps outside and peer down the massive hallway leading to a lonely door. The large walls are ribbed with bright green arcs, and the floor shines as though it's made of gold.

The elevator doors shut behind them.


	7. Chapter 7: The Professor

The University of Oz

**Chapter 7: The Professor**

No one speaks for a brief moment as they stare at the door on the far end.

"Well, here we are," says Derek, breaking the silence as his voice reverberates throughout the hallway. Slowly they all begin to walk toward the door. Jade shields her sensitive eyes from the overall brightness around them, the Slacker meticulously checks his clothing to make sure there is no residual evidence of his smoking habits, Vicky uses the reflective surface of the walls to tidy up her hair, and Derek attempts to look confident as he leads. They stop once they reach the tall double doors. Derek takes a deep breath, grabs the large, golden handle, and pulls the heavy door open.

When the door is open far enough to see inside, the group spots a large golden desk in a beautifully ornate room. Beyond the desk is an equally large office chair, currently facing away from the door toward the far wall made of glass. The window overlooks the entire campus.

They slowly make their way into the room, and Derek cautiously begins his introduction.

"Um, Professor? Professor of Oz?"

The chair does not move.

"We were wondering if you could uh…help us," Derek continues. As the door shuts behind the gang, the giant desk chair begins to swivel around.

"Oh?" asks the voice from the chair as it completely turns toward them to face the desk. Sitting in the chair is a woman in a very pristine, green and gold business suit. Her bright green hair flows elegantly over her shoulders and compliments her pale skin. Her face has a somewhat stern, yet intelligent expression as she eyes the group.

"I don't recall having an appointment," says the Professor, double checking a little book on her desk.

"We don't have one," Vicky chimes in.

"I see," begins the Professor. "Well, lucky for you it's been rather slow lately. What are you here for?"

"I REALLY need to get rid of this hangover, "Jade says immediately. "And I guess…I need you to help me to stop partying so much."

"I need help getting motivated to do work," says the Slacker.

"I need to do LESS work because it's driving me insane," says Vicky.

"And I just…want a girlfriend," says Derek.

The Professor looks at the group with a mixture of shock and concern.

"That's asking quite a bit of me," she states. "I've never heard of such requests."

"I know…I'm sorry I just…well, someone named the Good Jock of the North Campus told me to see you. I don't even know where I am to be honest. I apparently just fell from the sky." Derek explains.

"My goodness," replies the Professor. "Well, unfortunately I can't help you with all your problems at this time. We're currently dealing with a big issue."

"The Wicked Jock…" guesses Vicky.

"That's right," responds the Professor. "Never in the history of this university has there been a student so capable of causing so much damage."

"That jock?" asks Derek. "I know he's a real jerk, but why would he stop you from helping us?"

The Professor explains herself.

"The university is in a crisis because of him. He constantly beats up intelligent students, causing them to be afraid and ashamed of doing well. He picks on people that aren't as in shape as he is, as good looking, or a powerful in general. Students are quite literally afraid to leave their own dorms because of him. Worst of all, I know for a fact that he is behind most of the sexual assaults on girls that occur on this campus. When he first arrived, we could tell that he would be a nuisance, but he has somehow managed to overcome our authority. He intimidated a large number of students to join his little army and has somehow brainwashed them into doing his bidding. They take the blame for terrible crimes against the campus, such as sexual assault charges and violent attacks. They've also helped him take over his entire dorm building, turning it into a sort of dark castle."

She stands up and turns to the view behind her as Derek speaks up.

"Why doesn't campus safety just get rid of him?" he asks. The Professor stares out the window and replies,

"He's somehow trained and brainwashed these _minions _so much that campus safety can't even get into his massive dorm fortress. Any time they try to get to him, his minions block the way and gladly fight against the officers, even if it means their expulsion. He has convinced all these students that he should be idolized." She turns back towards the group and continues,

"I'm sorry, but this takes precedence over your requests. Students are failing out of college because of him, and innocent girls are being taken advantage of left and right. He's a menace, a truly evil menace, and he has to be stopped."

"Wow," begins Jade. "I guess I haven't noticed how much trouble he's caused since I've been partying so much."

"And I've been smok….I mean….sitting in my room too much," says the Slacker.

"And I've been locked in the Library too much," says Vicky.

Derek looks at his friends then back at the Professor.

"What if we get rid of him?" he asks. "_We_, as in us...us four," he motions toward himself and the gang as they look at him in shock.

"Are you kidding me?" asks Jade. "You heard her. Not even campus safety can get to him. How are we supposed to do that?"

"Well we can try," replies Derek. "Back where I'm from, guys like him are the bane of my existence. Of course, they don't have bizarre, mystical powers like he does, but the idea is still the same. I know one guy in particular that looks exactly like him. He intimidates me from going to parties, meeting girls, or meeting new friends in general."

Derek can't help but think about the image of Rob holding Sabrina, and how drunk and vulnerable she looked.

"I just think we can do it, that's all," he finishes.

"If you all can put an end to his wicked ways, I promise you I will be able to help with all your needs," says the Professor. Derek turns to his friends.

"You heard her. What do you say?" he asks.

"I'm in," says Vicky excitedly. "I wouldn't mind teaching him a thing or two. Plus, it will help me get my mind off of school work."

"Uh…you know what, man. I'm in, too," says the Slacker. "I guess I wouldn't be doing too much anyway."

Derek turns to Jade.

"That just leaves you," he says. "Just think, the only thing between you and not having that terrible hangover of yours is that evil Jock."

"Okay, I suppose that's true. I'm in…I guess," responds Jade.

"Very well," says the Professor. "He never lets anyone near his football helmet. If you can bring his helmet to me, I'll know you've defeated him once and for all."

She stands from her desk, makes her way to the door, and opens it for the heroes.

"Good luck," she says sternly.

One at a time, everyone shakes her hand and continues out the door back into the hallway. They proceed to make their way back to the elevator as the door shuts behind them. Once inside the elevator, Derek pushes the button for the ground floor, and they begin their descent. The Slacker breaks the silence.

"So uh…what's the plan, dude?"

"I was hoping one of you guys would have one," replies Derek.


	8. Chapter 8: The Bait

The University of Oz

**Chapter 8: The Bait**

After leaving the tower, the group backtracks their way to the lush, open field.

"So where does this Jock live?" asks Derek.

"I'm guessing he's in upper classmen housing," responds Jade.

"Which is that way," Vicky adds as she points towards the west. The field continues on in that direction for what looks like another mile before becoming dense woods again.

"I still don't understand how you all normally navigate this campus on a daily basis," says Derek.

"It's how it's always been, man," responds the Slacker. "I feel like I discover new parts of this campus every day."

They all continue onward, slowly making their way to the thick wall of trees in the distance. The walk reminds Derek of the mysterious beauty of this strange campus. The bright green grass makes a crisp noise as it brushes against his pant legs. The sky contains a glorious mixture of deep blues, greens, and a touch of burning orange across the horizon. The sun, now fully visible, baths everything in a glittering light. The beautiful, glossy colors of the landscape swirl together as if they are alive. Everywhere Derek turns, every scene he can focus on, every view in his field of vision, is worthy of a painting by a masterful artist.

Not long after Derek becomes lost in the scenery, there is a disturbing change in the ambience. The pleasant air suddenly becomes frigidly cold. The gang stops in their tracks as the grass around them starts to wither and turn black. Clouds cover the golden sun, casting a dark shadow across the whole field.

"What's going on?" asks Derek.

A dark mist forms in front of them, so thick that they can no longer see the forest behind it. The mist condenses into one spot a little larger than the size of a person. The four of them feel a quick shockwave as the mist rockets outward, revealing the opposing figure of the Wicked Jock. Stunned, the group looks on in silence.

"Well don't look so happy to see me," the Jock says with a smirk. He slowly walks towards them, inspecting them as if trying choosing the perfect slab of meat from the butcher shop.

"I've been watching you," he continues. "I know about your little visit to the Professor. You really think you can destroy me?"

Derek responds with a shaky voice.

"How do you know about that?" he asks. The Jock laughs.

"I run this campus you little twerp. I have spies everywhere. Cameras everywhere. If you think that guard works for the Professor then you've fallen for another one of my tricks."

The gang remains silent as no one quite knows what to say or do. The Jock turns his attention towards the two females in the group.

"What are you two doing with these losers anyway? Make things easy on yourself and come with me. You can't tell me you can resist this," he says, swinging his arms outward to present his athletic, uniform-clad body. Derek notices the impressed, albeit scared looks on the girls faces.

"Listen," he manages to say. "We aren't afraid of you. I think you're all talk. Why haven't you done anything to us if you've been watching us?" He can't believe the words coming out of his mouth. He knows that there's no way they could take him on, but something inside of him wants to stand up to the Jock, even if it costs him his own life.

"Don't you dare question my power," the Jock hisses. "You are different from all the others. You have something I want," he says as he motions toward the cleats that Derek is still wearing. He's been walking in them for so long that he almost forgot that they're on his feet.

"The stupid Jock of the North used his magic to seal them on your feet. I can't take them from you…while you're alive," says the evil Jock. Vicky grabs Derek's shoulder.

"We should run," she urges. Derek brushes her hand away and speaks to the Jock.

"Then why haven't you killed me?" he asks. His own words surprise him once again.

"Oh that will happen. I have something even worse than death in store for you beforehand, though," says the Jock as he walks toward Derek. Jade and the Slacker join Vicky in urging Derek to run, but Derek stands still. The Jock quickly flings out his arm and points to a patch of grass on the ground. The grass swirls and distorts into a shiny circle.

"Why not take a look?" asks the Jock, motioning toward the large shining circle on the ground. Derek hesitantly steps closer to it. He sees swirls of light forming within the circle, twirling around and expanding into random shapes and sizes. Soon the lights form a clear image of a girl. She has beautiful, deep red hair flowing in gentle waves down her neck, resting on her shoulders. Her face is lightly sprinkled with freckles, a feature that Derek loves. A tight white top and yellow skirt gently caress her slender body. Derek's heart sinks instantly as he recognizes her.

"Sabrina?" he asks aloud.

"You know her?" asks the Slacker.

"That's…that's someone from my world. Or at least, she looks like someone from my world," replies Derek, still unable to believe what he's seeing. The Jock's resemblance to Rob is strange enough, but this throws Derek into a state of shock.

"That's right," says the Jock. "I know how you feel about her. I know about your pathetic feelings. You want her more than anything." He snaps his fingers and the image of Sabrina vanishes, returning to the green patch of grass that it had originally covered.

"And now she's all mine," continues the Jock with a wicked grin.

"What the hell are you going to do to her?" yells Derek.

"Whatever I want," says the Jock. "I'll let your imagination run wild. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to return to my castle. If you think you can get past my guards, you're more than welcome to come watch," he gloats as he steps away from the gang. Derek darts out towards him, but before he can reach the Jock, the black mist condenses around him and he disappears with another shockwave. The energy knocks all of the heroes to the ground.

They slowly rise to their feet.

"Man…he's a dick," says the Slacker, brushing himself off.

"Are you alright?" Vicky asks Derek. He doesn't respond. His eyes are fixed on the forest not too far in front of them.

"Maybe this _is_ a stupid idea," says Jade. "He's going to kill us."

"I'm not letting him do anything to her," Derek says sharply. "Let's go."

Derek stomps through the grass toward the forest. The other three stare at him and then at each other before following a few yards behind. Vicky catches up to him.

"Who was that?" she asks. "That girl he showed you. You aren't from here so how do you know her?"

"Her name is Sabrina," replies Derek, too focused on finding the castle to even turn to look at her. "I don't know how she's here, but that's definitely her."

"Is she someone special?" Vicky asks. Derek stops in his tracks. Jade and the Slacker catch up to them and stand by. Derek starts to speak while he removes his glasses to clean them.

"Back where I'm from, girls rarely even realize that I exist. Any parties I've been to, they just act like I'm not there," he says as puts his glasses back on. "One time I was being picked on by some jerks, including a guy named Rob who looks like the Wicked Jock. Sabrina stood up for me. She told them to back off because I was a nice guy. She's the only girl that's ever done that."

Derek starts to walk again, leading the group down the path through the forest. "I couldn't find her for the rest of the party, and that's the last I ever saw her," he finishes. The rest of the group doesn't say a word. They could all tell that nothing will stop Derek from continuing to the castle. He plows on like a bulldozer, shoving branches out of the way while leaves and twigs crunch below his cleats. Vicky follows close behind him with a face full of concern, while struggling to keep the branches from ripping her pajama pants. Jade and the Slacker are further behind, both silently doubting that anything good will come of this adventure. This formation continues on for a while before progress is seen. The trees in the forest grow further and further apart as they reach the edge.

They approach a large stone arc, almost completely covered in twisted vines and weeds. Along the top of the arch is a metal sign, rusted from edge to edge while also covered in plant growth. The words engraved on the metal plate can barely be read.

"West Campus Housing," says Derek. Beyond the arc is the end of the forest, leading to a new cluster of buildings. The group continues on.

The atmosphere is noticeably darker in this area. The sun is obscured by a dark haze in the sky, and the buildings appear cold, concrete, and mostly abandoned. In the center of this dreary village lies a building much larger than the rest. It's surrounded by a wall made of black bricks, along with a flowing river of what appears to be lava. The overall construction of the building makes it look like a castle. It's made up of a collection of circular towers of all shapes and sizes, all lined with precarious looking spikes and thorns. One main tower rises above the rest.

"I'm going to guess that's where he lives," says Jade as they all stare at the castle in awe.

"I really don't feel right about this, dude," says the Slacker. Derek looks at each of his friends individually, then back at the castle. A large bridge sits over the river of lava, leading up to the main doors. Two guards stand on either side of the entrance. Derek notices that they're both holding something. He struggles and squints to try and make out what they were. As he steps closer the shapes become clearer. The two guards are students, and they're holding makeshift crossbows. Derek then notices that those crossbows are aimed right at them.

"Duck!" yells Derek as he instinctively grabs Vicky, pulling her down to the ground just as the two guards fire. The arrows dart by, missing their mark but striking the Slacker in his left shoulder, causing him to yell out in pain. Derek sees the guards reloading and jumps up while holding Vicky's hand. Jade shoves the Slacker behind a nearby tree and takes cover with him as another arrow lodges itself into the trunk. Derek and Vicky jump behind a large rock a few yards away just as another arrow ricochets off of it.

All that can be heard are the painful moans of the Slacker and the sound of approaching footsteps.


	9. Chapter 9: Infultration

The University of Oz

**Chapter 9: Infultration**

Derek shoots a deeply concerned look towards Jade, who is frantically trying to nurse the Slacker's wound behind the nearby tree. The footsteps of the guards grow louder every second, causing Derek to tremble with fear. He curls up and buries his head in his arms, hoping that it will all be over soon. All of the bravery and confidence he had against the Wicked Jock seems to have disappeared.

One of the guards jumps behind the rock where they're hiding, causing Derek to tense up, awaiting the inevitable attack. He hears struggling above him and raises his head to find Vicky wrestling the guard for his crossbow.

"Don't just sit there!" she yells to him. Derek, thinking quickly, shoves his foot out to throw the guard off balance. This allows Vicky to take the crossbow from him, while simultaneously alarming the other guard just before he reaches the tree with Jade and the Slacker.

"Derek," says Vicky as she backs away from the guard, who is now grabbing at her. "Take care of the other two…and find Sabrina."

She hugs the crossbow in her arms and darts out into the woods.

"She's got my crossbow. Get her!" yells the guard. The other one joins him as they pursue Vicky into the woods. Derek quickly rises to his feet.

"Vicky!" he yells, but it's no use. She's far off into the woods being hunted by two guards like an animal. Derek has no choice but to run over to the tree that the Slacker and Jade are hiding behind.

"We need to move now," he urgently says, grabbing Jade by the shoulder and extending his arm to help the Slacker up. They had managed to pull the arrow from his shoulder, but he was holding it tightly to stop the blood.

An alarm goes off, whirring like a police siren. They hear a stampede of guards rushing from the main entrance of the castle.

"Where are we supposed to go?" asks Jade as she frantically looks around. Derek points to a section of abandoned buildings to the right of the castle.

"Just go that way!" he yells. Jade rushes forward as Derek helps the Slacker along. They hastily and carefully navigate the edge of the moat of lava, away from the main entrance. They reach the abandoned buildings and climb inside a broken window. Jade and Derek enter first, and then carefully help the Slacker. Once inside, they hold their breath and close their eyes. By now the guards are heavily searching the area where they were once hiding. Luckily they had not seen where the heroes ran off to.

They remain silent in their hiding place for what feels like hours until the screeching siren finally comes to a halt. Derek, Jade, and the Slacker all let out a tremendous sigh of relief as they hear the footsteps of the guards return into the castle. They relax up against the wall of the room they had stumbled into. It's a small, empty room made of concrete, about the size of a child's bedroom. There is broken glass all over the floor, along with cracks in the walls and ceiling. The dim light from the dreary outdoors through the window barely lights up the room, making it look and feel as though it's night time. The air is thick with dust, further proving that this old building hasn't been occupied for years.

"This is great…just wonderful," says Jade as she stands up, clearly afraid and angered at the current situation. She starts pacing back and forth across the room. Derek looks at the Slacker's injury.

"This is bad. It's going to get infected. We need some sort of alcohol," he says. Jade stops pacing and turns to them.

"Fine, here. You got me," she says as she reaches into her jacket pocket. She pulls out a tiny bottle of vodka and hands it to Derek.

"….seriously?" asks Derek as he takes it from her.

"Man, you really are an alcoholic," Chuckles the Slacker.

"I haven't had it yet, have I?" Jade snaps back. "Besides, it's about to save your ass."

Derek twists off the top.

"Pull your shirt down," he says to the Slacker, who then pulls his stretched and torn T-shirt down from his left shoulder, exposing the bloody wound underneath, which is a deep gash about an inch in length. Derek lightly pours some of the pure vodka along the top of it. The Slacker winces and shrieks in pain.

"AHHH, what the hell, dude!" he yells.

"Quit crying," says Jade as she laughs.

"We need to wrap that with something," says Derek. "What about your hat?"

"My hat?" asks the Slacker. "No way, man, I love this hat!"

"More than your left arm?" asks Derek. The Slacker lets out a frustrated sigh as he removes his cotton beanie and gives it to Derek.

"Sorry, buddy," says Derek as he proceeds to rip the hat along the sides. It crackles as it tears along the seams, forming into one long piece.

"Aw, come on!" yells the Slacker just before he winces in pain and holds his left shoulder tighter. Derek leans over and nudges the Slacker's hand out of the way to get to the wound. He immediately covers it with the torn hat, which he wraps around the Slacker's shoulder and under his arm nice and tight. A dark patch of blood emerges from the area that covers the wound.He w

"Alright, what do we do now?" asks Jade as she sits back down. "He's hurt, Vicky ran off, we're sitting in an abandoned building, my head still hurts, and I don't even have my vodka."

"We need to get inside that castle," says Derek.

"No way!" yells Jade. "Look at what's happened already. Can you imagine if we actually got inside?"

Derek stands up and looks out the window.

"Vicky just risked her life for us," begins Derek. "She's out there being chased down with a couple of college guys with a crossbow. For all we know she's dead now. She didn't do that so we can give up. If you want to go, then go."

Both Jade and the Slacker remain silent as Derek continues to look out the window. He soon notices that a balcony in one of the above floors extends out a few meters toward the castle walls.

"I think I've got it," he says. "Follow me."

He immediately begins navigating the abandoned rooms looking for a staircase. The Slacker gets up to join him while Jade lets out an aggravated sigh.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she says as she follows the Slacker.

Derek finds the stairwell and starts running up it. The loud banging of his stomping cleats echoes throughout. Jade covers her ears in pain.

"Hey man, slow down!" yells the Slacker as he and Jade lag behind. Derek reaches the next floor and makes his way to the balcony. He gazes out to the castle for several seconds as the other two finally make their way to him.

All three of them stare down the balcony. Directly below them is the moat of lava, which surrounds the outer wall. The top of the wall itself, lined with all sorts of thorns and spikes, lies only about five feet away from the balcony. Just over the wall is the castle garden, if one could call it that. It's more of a thick collection of bushes and weeds that hasn't been tended to for years.

"We can make this jump," says Derek excitedly.

"Dude! Not gonna happen," says the Slacker, gripping his injured shoulder.

"Yeah, for once I agree," says Jade. "I'm not doing that."

"Like I said," starts Derek. "I'm not going to give up now. If you guys have a better idea, let me know. Otherwise, make this jump with me…or just leave."

He looks at both of them then turns back to the castle wall. After a few deep breaths he slowly stands himself on the ledge of the balcony. He carefully calculates the distance, making sure not to misjudge. Falling short would mean a bath in molten lava. After readying himself into a crouched position, he forces himself up and forward, leaping from the edge of the balcony while closing his eyes. His cleats barely clear the spikes on top of the wall, and he slams into the thick shrubbery inside the courtyard.

"You okay, dude?" the Slacker yells to him. There is some bustling as Derek frees himself from the bush.

"I…I think so," he responds, checking himself for injuries. Aside from a few inevitable scratches and minor bruises, he appears to have made it through fine. The Slacker shrugs and stands himself on the edge of the balcony. He holds his shoulder tight, takes a few deep breaths, and makes the jump, landing a few feet away from Derek.

"OOOwwwwwwww," he yells.

"Shut it!" yells Jade from the balcony. "They'll hear us!"

"Your turn," Derek yells to Jade as quietly as he can.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…" Jade chants as she gets up on the ledge. "I hate you…I hate you…"

Closing her eyes, she leaps across the gap and over the wall, barely missing the Slacker when she lands.

"Oh my god," she says as she grasps her head and stands herself up from the bush. "Ow…"

The three of them wade through the bushes, making their way to the grass beside the main tower of the castle. Leaves and sticks jut out of their clothing as they stumble out.

"Everyone okay?" asks Derek. The other two nod half-heartedly.

"This better be worth it," says Jade, analyzing the tower before them. "I hope that Wicked Jock is toast by the end of this."

Derek looks at his surroundings. All he can see is the wall they had just jumped over, the bushes next to it, and the wall of the tower behind them. Both possible directions lead around the tower to unknown areas.

"Okay, we have to be careful," he says. "One wrong move can lead us into a herd of guards." He points to their right. "Let's try that way."

Together they all slowly creep around the tower wall. By now it is nearly mid-afternoon, but the sun is still so obscured by the dark clouds that it looks like night time, making it very difficult to see. A faint glow can barely be seen coming from the direction they're headed. As they continue to round the tower, the glow gets progressively brighter. Soon enough, they reach the source of the light, which is a window nearly eight feet from the ground.

"Looks like this is our only way in," says Derek. "I'll jump up and grab onto the ledge, and one of you will need to help push me up once I'm hanging."

"Uh, Jade can do that. My shoulder is like, you know, not really cool right now," responds the Slacker.

"Fine," says Jade. Derek looks up to the window opening, bends his knees, then leaps into the air, grabbing the ledge. Jade gets underneath him and grabs his flailing legs. He does his best to hoist himself up as Jade struggles to help push him. Finally he gets a better grip and manages to get his upper body through the window. He swings his legs up and tumbles inside, landing in a dark hallway lit only by candlelight.

"It's clear," he says as he turns around and looks out the window. He leans out as far as he can and extends his arm. "Grab on," he says to Jade. She jumps up and takes a hold of his arm as he anchors himself by using his other hand to grab a groove on the inside wall. The Slacker tries to push Jade's legs with his good arm as she struggles. Derek eventually manages to pull her high enough to get her inside.

"Alright uh, what about me?" asks the Slacker. Derek notices that the window is lined with a curtain. He rips the curtain down and dangles it down to the Slacker.

"Grab onto that," he says. The Slacker grips the curtain. Derek presses his feet up against the wall below the window and leans back, pulling on the curtain as if he's playing tug-of-war.

"Agh...come on…Jade…I need some...help," he says between grunts. Jade reluctantly grabs hold of the curtain and helps pull the Slacker higher and higher until he tumbles through the open window. Derek and Jade let out exhausted sighs. The Slacker gets back on his feet, and the three of them look down the dimly-lit hallway.

"He really has this evil fortress thing down," says Jade. "I mean really…candles?"

Derek ignores her and starts creeping down the hallway. The other two follow behind him.

"We just need to find a way up," he says quietly. They approach a large set of double doors. Derek puts his ear to one of the doors to check if anyone is behind it. He then opens it a crack, barely enough to see inside. He opens it further to reveal a huge, spiral staircase.

"Oh, that was easy," he says. He then spots a camera in the stairwell, which has now stopped moving and is focused on him. "Oh…" he says again. The same alarm they heard outside begins to play, deafening the three heroes. Within seconds, several doors in the hallway burst open as guards flood out.

"Oh crap man, let's go!" yells the Slacker, shoving Jade and Derek into the Stairwell. The three of them desperately begin their ascent. All they can hear is the rumble of the approaching guards behind them, which is growing louder by the second.


	10. Chapter 10: Don't Drink and Run

The University of Oz

**Chapter 10: Don't Drink and Run**

"We're dead, SO dead!" shouts Jade as she stumbles up the stairwell next to Derek and the Slacker. The chaotic stomping of guards approaches behind them like an avalanche as the alarm continues to scream through the air. The Slacker struggles to keep up, holding his shoulder in excruciating pain.

"I can't…do this…" he says in between deep breaths. His exhaustion gets the best of him and he trips on his own foot, sending his body crashing against the stairs. Derek and Jade turn around when they hear him fall.

"Hold on!" shouts Derek as he goes to help him up.

"There's no time, they're catching up!" Jade blurts out, yanking on Derek's arm for him to keep running.

"No! I'm not leaving him!" responds Derek as he tries to pull the Slacker back up to his feet. Jade hurries next to Derek to help, but the guards quickly come up the spiral stairs and into view. Being unsuccessful at getting the Slacker back on his feet, Jade and Derek desperately begin dragging him up the stairs.

"Get out of here, man!" the Slacker yells through his anguished groans. "Just run, don't worry about me, dudes!"

"I told you I'm not…" Derek shouts before he and Jade are both grabbed by someone behind them. They let go of the Slacker as they're pulled backwards and pushed toward a nearby open door. Before Derek has a chance to protest, he and Jade are flung through the door, and whoever threw them followed inside and slammed the door shut. Jade and Derek fall to the cold, hard ground in the pitch black room. The sound of the stampede outside continues, as the Slacker's yells can be heard. The rumbling noise and his yells both stop at the same time, and after a brief moment, the guards can be heard slowly walking up the rest of the stairs.

"Oh my god, they got him. They got the Slacker," says Derek as he tries to feel his way around the dark room to stand up. Jade says nothing as she lies on the floor, still shaken up by what had just happened. Derek slowly rises to his feet.

"Who's in here? Who saved us?" he asks, trying unsuccessfully to adjust his eyes to the darkness. A strange, feminine voice answers his question.

"I've come to save you, Derek!" it says.

"Vicky?" asks Derek excitedly. The feminine voice quickly turns into maniacal laughter, and then continues in a male tone.

"Stupid nerd…you're just too much fun."

The lights flick on, and standing before Jade and Derek is the Wicked Jock himself. His helmet is off and he's looking at the two heroes with a confident smile.

"Look at you two," he says. "So pathetic."

Derek steps in front of Jade and they both slowly back away.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," says the Jock. "You guys seem to be good enough at getting rid of yourselves for me."

"What do you want?" demands Derek.

"Well you know I want those cleats, and I'm going to get them," says the Jock. "But first I think you deserve to see each and every one of your new friends die."

Derek looks at the Jock with a mixture of shock and anger.

"W-well," he begins, struggling to speak. "You're…you're gonna have get through me to get her." He stands firmly in front of Jade, shielding her. The Jock laughs.

"Like I said, I don't even have to do anything," he says. He then looks Jade in the eye. "You're just like all the others. Hot, but brainless. You want to be back with your precious sorority girls right now, drinking your terrible troubles away."

"Shut up, ass!" yells Jade.

"Such an attitude, too," responds the Jock. "Anyway, I'd better get going. I need to get some practicing in before I have some fun with Sabrina."

"You're all talk," says Derek angrily.

"You keep telling yourself that, nerd," responds the Jock. "And while you're at it, have fun keeping this dumb chick away from my alcohol collection."

"What?" asks Derek. The Jock simply responds with another laugh before vanishing in a burst of dark energy.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asks Jade. Derek turns around to talk to her, but he is dumbstruck by what he sees behind her.

"Oh…crap," he says.

"What?" responds Jade as she turns to look as well. The sight leaves her speechless. The narrow room, which is more like a hallway, appears to go on forever. The walls are lined from floor to ceiling with shelves completely stuffed with beer. Derek turns back to the door and looks up to see a sign.

"Beer Room," he reads aloud. "Absolutely no fruity, girly drinks allowed." He quickly runs back to Jade.

"We need to get out of here," he says, trying to yank her away.

"But…my head," she begins to say. "It still hurts so bad…"

"And this stuff won't help you," says Derek.

"You don't understand," continues Jade. "You don't know what it's like to feel like this. I NEED alcohol." She eyes the beer like a child in a candy store. There are all sorts of shapes and sizes of bottles and cans, taunting her with their attractive amber hue.

"He's getting in your head," responds Derek. "You've come this far. You don't need this."

Jade ignores Derek's words and takes several beers off of a nearby shelf.

"Stop!" shouts Derek as he goes to grab them. Jade twists away and starts running down the narrow room. Derek chases after her. As Jade runs, she opens one of the beers and immediately begins chugging it down.

"Don't do this!" Derek yells. His words do nothing but crumble to the ground as Jade downs one beer after another. The alcohol takes hold of her as she stumbles around, quickly losing her balance. The pursuit continues as she chugs a third beer, then a fourth, then a fifth. Derek can't believe how fast she's drinking them, but he tries to remain focused on catching her.

The effects of the alcohol worsen within her, and she completely loses all coordination. She violently crashes up against a nearby shelf, sending beer cans and bottles all over the floor, tripping both herself and Derek.

"Jade!" yells Derek as he struggles to move the beer out of the way. Jade is now lying down on the ground, blissfully laughing and opening every beer she can get her hands on. As Derek moves closer to her to stop her, he hears the door at the entrance of the room burst open as guards start to rush in once again.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," he says, looking back toward the door. He tries to drag Jade, who is now laughing even harder, toward the door at the opposite end of the room. She grabs onto a nearby shelf with all of her strength.

"I'm not leaving this place! This is the best I've felt all day!" she says between her laughter. Derek tries to pull her away, but fails. As the guards quickly approach, Derek hangs his head in shame.

"I'm sorry, Jade," he says before he lets go of her arm and makes a run for the exit. As he approaches the door, all he can hear behind him is Jade's laughter, which becomes increasingly buried under the sound of the marching guards. With tears in his eyes, he flings open the door and slams it shut behind him, finding himself back outside on a balcony. He presses himself up against the wall to look down at the dismal city of abandoned buildings beyond the walls of the castle that he is now trapped in…alone.


	11. Chapter 11: The Captives

The University of Oz

**Chapter 11: The Captives**

The chill of the oncoming evening gives Derek goose bumps as he turns to sit up against the wall of the balcony. The sounds of the marching guards and screaming siren quickly fade, leaving nothing but the ominous whispers and whistling of the wind. Derek sits with his knees close to his chest, clasping them with his arms. He has no ideas, no plans, and worst of all, no one to stand beside him. All he can think about now is the vision of Vicky being hunted as she runs away, the sound of the Slacker's screams as he's overcome by the guards, and Jade's euphoric laughter as she gives in to her temptations.

"It's my fault," he says aloud to himself. Somehow the sound of his own voice sends him further into despair, perhaps because he can now hear the fear within it. In sheer sadness and exhaustion, he closes his eyes and presses his forehead to his knees.

He's unsure of how much time goes by until he hears the sound of Sabrina's voice.

"Derek! Get me out of here!" she cries.

Derek flings his head up, wondering if he was just dreaming.

"I'm up here! Help!" she cries again.

He immediately looks up, locating the source of the yelling. Several stories up is the very top of the main tower. The ashen black color of the bricks makes it look like a mere shadow in the sky. He can see light shining from a single window, partially blocked by the silhouette of Sabrina, leaning out and waving for Derek's attention.

"Sabrina!" Derek calls out.

"Watch out for the monkeys!" she responds.

"What?" asks Derek, barely able to hear her.

"The mooonnkeeeyyyss!" yells Sabrina, trying to pronounce the word as clearly as possible.

"Monkeys? What do you mean? Are you okay?" he shouts back.

"Turn around you idiot!" responds Sabrina frantically. Derek turns back to the view behind him. Dozens of black shadows are now floating near the balcony. The figures have tails and wings, and are slowly bobbing up and down, trying to quietly stay in place.

"What...the…." Derek mutters out. The quiet flapping of the wings turns into a hectic uproar of crackling air as the dark figures dart towards Derek. In complete shock, he crawls backwards before springing to his feet.

"Run!" Sabrina screams. Derek takes off, running along the small balcony until he reaches a narrow path that spirals along the outside of the castle. He tries his best to not look down to the moat of lava several stories below, nor to the barrage of terrifying monkeys flying behind him. The path ends at a separate balcony, on which Derek leaps and tumbles to the ground. He quickly recovers and leaps through a nearby window, shattering the glass and landing harshly on the floor inside the castle.

The flying monkeys swarm around the broken window, screeching and flapping their wings wildly. Derek can see that he has a very short time before they manage to squeeze through, so he leaps up once again to continue running. The adrenaline distracts him from the fact that his palms and knees are terribly scraped by the tiny shards of glass from the broken window. By the time the first of the monkeys gets through the window, Derek has proceeded well down the hall and around the corner. He tests every door that he runs past, trying to find one that isn't locked. Just before the monkeys round the corner, one of the doors flies open and Derek steps in, slamming the door shut behind him. He breathes a sigh of relief when he hears the monkeys rush by the door, oblivious to where he had gone.

When he turns around, he finds that he has stumbled into a large, dungeon-like room. A few dusty light bulbs dangle along a path leading down the center of the room, barely producing enough light to see the tattered wooden floor. As the screeches of the monkeys fade away, Derek notices that the room is filled with the sound of several muffled voices. They sound like they're struggling to call out, attempting to catch his attention. He slowly walks along the center lit path as the wooden planks creak beneath his cleats. The muffled voices come from all around him, emerging from the darkness that surrounds the dim light of the hanging bulbs. As the seconds go by, the chorus of voices only seems to grow, getting louder and louder until the sound is almost deafening.

Feeling uneasy, Derek decides to reach up and tap one of the lights, causing it to sway back and forth. The glow from the light briefly lights up each side of the room, revealing dozens of stacked cages. Each cage is occupied by a different girl, and each girl is bound at the wrists with their mouths covered by tightly tied cloth. Derek stands still, completely speechless as he takes it all in. He runs over to one of the cages and reaches in to move the cloth away from the girl's mouth, his arms barely fitting through the iron bars. The girl takes a deep breath of air and speaks.

"Who are you? Can you get us out of here?" she asks with a disparate tone.

"Uh, I uh…I don't know…" responds Derek.

"Please help," she continues. "I don't know what's going on. I was having fun at a party and they took me. I, I don't know who. Now I'm here and I just don't know what's happening."

"It's the Wicked Jock," responds Derek. "I'm here to stop him but I have no idea how…" he stops and thinks for a moment. He really has no idea how he's going to stop him, but he doesn't want to make the poor girl panic any more than she already is.

"Don't worry, I'll figure out a way," he says reassuringly. He reaches in to help untie her hands. Once her hands are free, he starts looking around to find a way to open the cage.

"There has to be a way to open this," he says aloud as he inspects the metal bars. Before he manages to find anything, he can hear footsteps approaching the main door to the room. He quickly makes his way to the far corner of the room and hides behind one of the cages, hoping that the darkness will be enough to conceal his location. The door swings open and a guard walks in.

He slowly walks down the room with a flashlight, inspecting each cage that he passes. For the first time, Derek is able to see what the guard looks like in better detail. He's wearing what looks like a cross between a football jersey and a military jacket. It's made of some black, heavy fabric and on the back is a number that reads, "Guard 1533". He has matching dark pants and large army boots that cause the delicate wooden floor to shake and rattle with every step. Derek covers his mouth as the guard nears the cage of the girl that he had just talked to. The guard shines his flashlight on her cage, directly in her face.

"What do we have here?" he loudly and angrily asks. The girl screams and presses herself up against the back of her cage as the guard reaches around the side to unlock it. Derek, thinking quickly, leaps out from his hiding place and dashes towards the guard. He raises his scraped elbow, closes his eyes tight, and then leaps toward him, throwing all of his bodyweight at him. Before the guard has a chance to react, Derek's elbow slams him in his head, knocking him out cold. He collapses to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and Derek follows after him.

"Oh my god!" yells the terrified girl while Derek grabs onto his elbow in excruciating pain.

"You saved me!" the girl continues.

"Don't mention it," says Derek, barely able to talk as he lies on his back.

"The keys! Can you get the keys off of him?" she asks.

Derek slowly gets up, inspecting the guard's body. After thinking for a moment, he takes the guard's jacket off.

"I could," he starts to say, "but I can't let you all out right now."

"What? Why?" she asks.

"It's too dangerous," says Derek. "These guards are everywhere, and I'm pretty sure that there are flying mutant monkeys that want to murder me."

He puts the jacket on. It's a little big for his frail body, but he broadens his shoulders and zips it up.

"Maybe if I'm careful they won't notice that I'm wearing these cleats," he says, thinking out loud to himself.

"What are you talking about?" asks the girl. Derek turns to her. He feels a strange and sudden burst of confidence.

"Don't worry about it," he says. "I've got this."

He bends down and grabs the guard by his feet, dragging him back to the front door of the room. Before he opens the door, he looks back to all of the cages.

"I'm going to save all of you," he announces. "I promise."

The girls watch him drag the unconscious guard out of the room and shut the door. Each one feels admiration for Derek, accompanied by a deep sense of concern.


	12. Chapter 12: The Guardian Angel

**Author's note:**

**Hey guys! As this story nears its last few chapters, I just wanted to say thank you so much to those of you who have been checking back on my story. I've been having a lot of fun writing it and I hope some of you out there are having fun reading it. I'm still new to this site and fanfiction in general, so any sort of feedback, positive or negative, would be wonderful! Again, thanks for reading, and here's the next chapter:**

The University of Oz

**Chapter 12: The Guardian Angel**

Derek drags the unconscious guard out of the dungeon and closes the door behind him. He spots a small alcove in the wall further down the hallway. In the alcove is a high shelf which holds a variety of some of the Wicked Jock's football trophies. Derek makes sure that no one is watching and uses all of his strength to slowly bring the guard over to the floor by the alcove. Leaving the guard on the floor, he reaches up and carefully takes one of the larger trophies off of the shelf. He then places the trophy near the guard's head, making it look as though it was the trophy that had knocked him out cold.

Hearing footsteps coming from around the corner, he swiftly makes his way to an adjacent alcove to get out of sight. A fairly large crowd of guards march around the corner and into the hallway. As they pass by the alcove, Derek slips out of hiding and walks right behind the crowd. Luckily they don't notice the passed-out guard without his jacket as they continue down the hall. Derek slowly weaves his way into the group, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. A few guards grunt in mild frustration as Derek pushes his way into the middle, but he ultimately succeeds in concealing himself, marching along as if he's one of them.

They walk along a row of windows looking out to the dark night outside. The sounds of screeching monkeys can be heard in the distance, circling the castle just as hawks circle their prey. The noise puts Derek on edge, but he stays focused so as to not cause any suspicion around him. One of the guards finally looks down and catches a glimpse of Derek's pants.

"Hey 1533, what the hell are you wearing?" he asks harshly. The rest of the guards turn their attention inward.

"Uh…I um…uh…" Derek squeaks out.

"Where are your dark pants…and your boots?" continues the guard. At this point all of the other guards have stopped marching.

"It was a…pretty crazy night…heh…" says Derek, followed by an audible gulp. The guard inspects him closer, noticing the scrapes and sores on his palms and face.

"Crazy night? You partied last night?" asks the guard.

"Yeah, real crazy. I got so drunk and uh…just lost it, you know?" responds Derek.

"You _partied_ behind the Wicked Jock's back?" asks the guard in disbelief.

"…yes?" says Derek hesitantly.

The guard stands quiet for a few seconds, looking at all of the other guards. He raises his arm, as if ready to strike Derek, who rears back in fear.

"High-five, bro! How did you manage that one?" he says cheerily while holding his hand up. The rest of the guards laugh and aggressively pat Derek on the back, practically knocking the wind out of him. Derek breathes a tremendous sigh of relief and gives the guard a high-five.

"Oh you know, just being a badass as usual," he says with a smirk. He feels much more relaxed as the guards return to their formation and continue marching down the massive hallway.

Several minutes of marching later, Derek begins to wonder just where their destination is. He is tempted to ask, but he doesn't want to press his luck any further than he already has. If the guards find out that he isn't one of them, there would be absolutely nowhere for him to run. They approach a break in the hallway where it splits off in two directions. Suddenly, one of the guards shouts.

"Split formation!"

Half of the guards head down the left hall while the others head down the right. Derek quickly latches onto the group going left and continues on with them. Several minutes of walking goes by until they reach a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. Derek reads the sign atop the door.

"Flying Monkey Quarantine," he says out loud. "Crap…"

The front guard swings the doors open and they all walk through. Derek tries to slip away, but the last guard turns around just before he manages to do so.

"Let's go, party animal," he says as he motions Derek to follow. Derek reluctantly steps through the doors. Inside, the monkeys are all lined up in packs, awaiting orders.

"Listen…I uh, I need to go grab something real quick…" he says nervously. The other guards turn around.

"What? Everything alright?" one of them asks.

"It's fine I just…I really need to go…" continues Derek, who is now slowly backing away, trying to avoid alerting any of the human-sized, winged monkeys standing in the middle of the large room. He accidentally knocks his elbow hard against the closed door behind him, causing a loud bang. The monkeys all turn their heads to face him.

"That _would_ happen," Derek says to himself, fumbling for the door knob. Meanwhile, all of the monkeys begin to rapidly flap their wings while screeching and shouting.

"Stop it! I order you, stop!" yells one of the guards, trying to keep them under control. It's of no use, however, as the monkeys have seen their prey. They immediately rush towards Derek.

"It's 1533! He's an intruder!" shouts another guard. Derek flings the door open and makes his way back out into the hall, running for dear life. It isn't long before the monkeys plow through the guards and pour out of the room in pursuit.

Derek struggles to maintain his speed as he huffs, puffs, and coughs his lungs out. The monkeys quickly approach behind him and are now only a few meters away. Just as Derek is ready to give up, a metal hatch on the ceiling ahead of him bursts open. An arm sticks out from the opening, locked in a tense position, as if waiting for someone to grab onto it. With nowhere else to turn, Derek uses the rest of his strength to sprint forward, and propels himself from the ground, reaching just high enough to grab onto the mysterious hand. This gives him just enough leverage to latch his other hand onto the edge of the opening. The flying monkeys catch up to him and start to grab at his legs. Derek kicks and flails as he pulls himself up. He feels the arm tug on him to help him up, and he manages to get loose from the monkeys and climb into the dark opening. He tumbles inside the cramped air duct and the large metal hatch is immediately slammed shut and locked.

Derek hears the screaming monkeys clawing at the hatch.

"Let's go," says a voice, coming from whoever had helped him up. Without hesitation, Derek follows the voice, and the two of them crawl through the pitch black air ducts. Derek has no time to ask questions as the pounding from the monkeys grows louder. They both head toward a faint light in the distance. The sound of the latch being ripped from its hinges shoots down the duct, practically deafening Derek. As he hears the monkeys trying to climb in, they reach the source of the light, which is another hatch leading to a dimly-lit room below. The mysterious figure kicks the hatch, flinging it open.

"Jump," says the voice, and before Derek can say a word, he follows the figure through the opening and he lands in a large pile of bags several feet below. Derek can't see a thing as he's buried under the bags, and all he can hear is the sound of the hatch being closed back up, and the monkeys once again whizzing by where they just were. Their screeching slowly dissipates and is eventually too far away to be heard.

The smell coming from the bags nearly causes Derek to vomit as he pushes them out of the way, slowly managing to get up. His vision is blurred as he realizes that he must have lost his glasses during the fall. Disoriented, he looks around, trying to make sense of where he is. He then sees the blurry outline of a long-haired figure in front of him. The figure reaches out an arm and hands Derek his glasses. Derek wipes them off and puts them back on to get a better look.

"…Vicky?" he asks in disbelief.

"It's a damn good thing I showed up," responds Vicky with a massive smile. Derek lunges forward and they both embrace each other, hugging tightly.

"I can't believe it! You're here! How? How did you…" Derek can barely find the words to speak.

"Please," she starts to say. "These guards are idiots. Anyone with half a brain can get away from them."

"Gee, thanks," says Derek shamefully. They let go of their hug and look at each other. Vicky continues.

"Sorry, just a little joke to help ease things up a bit. I managed to use the crossbow I stole to hit one of them in the leg," she says.

"Really?" asks Derek. "Holy crap, I had no idea you were such a soldier."

"Well, to be fair they were a little distracted. I may have uh…flashed them," responds Vicky.

"Wait, what?" asks Derek.

"Anyway yeah, so after that I ran off. I heard so much commotion coming from inside the castle and I figured it was because of you guys. With all of the guards distracted, I easily made my way through the front gates," says Vicky.

"The front gates?! We had to jump over a moat of lava and climb through a window!" shouts Derek. Vicky presses her hand up against his mouth and shushes him.

"Sorry," says Derek as he pushes her hand away. Vicky continues.

"I tried to stay as stealthy as I could, which is how I found myself in the air ducts. It was the only place where I couldn't be seen. I followed the sound of the screaming monkeys and now…well, here we are. Where are the others?" asks Vicky as she inspects his wounds. Derek's eyes immediately begin to tear up.

"They're gone…" he says. "The guards got them."

Vicky remains silent as she gives Derek another hug.

"I'm so sorry," begins Derek. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"Stop it," says Vicky abruptly as she breaks away from the hug. "You didn't drag me into anything. I wanted to come with you."

Derek does his best to fight the tears.

"I can't do this," he says. "I don't know how long I've been in this castle and I have absolutely no idea where I am." He looks at himself and at the room they're standing in. It's a small room lit by a single light bulb. The floor is covered in layers of full garbage bags, which they are both standing knee-deep in.

"I mean, come on. The garbage room? Who has a _garbage_ room?" he asks.

"Self-centered, misogynistic monsters that are too lazy to bring their trash more than ten feet from their bedroom?" responds Vicky. This comment makes Derek chuckle.

"Big, strong, athletic football player can't even bring himself to take his own trash…" Derek suddenly pauses and stops chuckling.

"…more than ten feet from his room," he finishes. The smiles on both of their faces immediately disappear and they both fall silent. The very faint, muffled sound of voices is heard through the only door in the room. Listening closer, the two of them then hear the distinct laugh of the Wicked Jock, along with the desperate cries of Sabrina.

Vicky looks at Derek.

"Well, look at that," she says. "I guess this is it."


	13. Chapter 13: Game Time

The University of Oz

**Chapter 13: Game Time**

"Let me out of here!" yells Sabrina with a voice filled with rage.

"You're going to hurt that pretty voice of yours if you yell too much," replies the Jock.

Derek and Vicky quietly listen in by pressing their ears against the door.

"Untie me!" demands Sabrina.

"Are you kidding?" asks the Jock. "Oh sure let me just set you free," he says sarcastically.

"Derek!" cries Sabrina. "Derek, hurry up!"

"There's no need to scream that, baby," says the Jock.

"Shut up, I don't care! Deeerrreekk!" she continues.

"No you don't understand," begins the Jock. "You don't _have_ to scream that loudly. He can hear you."

Derek and Vicky both look at each other, still crouched behind the closed door in the garbage room.

"What are you talking about?" asks Sabrina.

"He's been here for a little while now," says the Jock. Derek gasps, and suddenly the door he is leaning against bursts open, knocking both him and Vicky onto their backs.

"Derek?!" shouts Sabrina.

They slowly rise back to their feet and cautiously step out of the room, like children coming out of hiding from their angered father. The Jock's room is very large, resembling more of a king's throne room than a bedroom. The walls are lined with various pictures and paintings of the Jock, as well as countless football trophies and medals. His bed sits atop a raised section of the concrete floor, serving as the centerpiece to the room. Sabrina's arms are tied to the bedposts as she struggles to get free. Derek and Vicky look on in stunned silence.

"Did you two really think you were fooling anyone?" asks the Jock menacingly. "You think I didn't know where you guys were this whole time?"

"Let her go," says Derek, breaking his silence.

"Getting straight to the point, eh?" responds the Jock. "Don't you want to know why I let you two live this whole time?"

"No more games," says Derek. "Just…let her go."

The Jock laughs.

"You're pretty stubborn for a lanky little geek," he says as he paces around Vicky and Derek. "I have a proposition for you."

"He said no more games, you ass!" says Vicky sharply. The Jock immediately raises his arm and backhands Vicky across the face, sending her to the ground.

"Shut it!" he yells. Derek lunges for the Jock, but before he has a chance to make a move, the Jock wraps his large hand around Derek's neck and lifts him up. Derek sways his feet trying to escape as Sabrina cries in the background.

"Now let me finish," says the Jock sternly. He turns his head toward the main door to his room. "Bring them in!" he shouts before dropping Derek to the ground like a rag doll. Gripping his neck in pain, Derek watches the door open, and a group of guards march through with two captives. Immediately Derek recognizes them as Jade and the Slacker. Their hands and mouths are bound with rope, and they both look like they've been through hell. The guards shove them forward towards the Jock, who promptly grabs them both by the hair with each of his hands.

"Alright get out of here," demands the Jock, sending the guards back out of the room as the door slams shut behind them. Derek and Vicky stand back up, starring at the two captives in disbelief. Jade and the Slacker stare back, struggling to shout through the ropes around their mouths.

"Now, here is the choice," begins the Jock as he grips their hair harder. "If I let your friends go, Sabrina stays here as my personal sex slave for as long as I wish. If I let Sabrina go, these two…and little miss loudmouth over there…" he nods towards Vicky, "…are dead."

Derek stands speechless for a moment before speaking.

"If this is about these cleats," he says as he motions towards his feet, "then just take them." He bends down and starts untying the cleats.

"No!" shouts Sabrina from the bed. The Jock drops Jade and the Slacker and turns to her.

"Silence!" he yells as he moves closer to slap her. Vicky takes this opportunity to help Jade and the Slacker get free of their ropes, and the four of them crowd together again as a reunited group.

"Looks like your temper gets in the way sometimes," says Jade. The Jock turns back to the group.

"I can kill all of you in one flick of the wrist," he says. "But that wouldn't be much fun, would it?"

He raises his arm again, forming a dark mist at their feet. The mist solidifies into black rings around their ankles, binding the four of them to the floor.

"I'm not too worried about those cleats," says the Jock. "I'll get them back just fine." He steps away from the bed and heads towards a large dresser in the corner. "In the meantime, I'll give you all the honor of watching me work my magic."

The Jock places his helmet on the dresser, then reaches for the bottom of his jersey and lifts it off, placing it in one of the drawers. He then removes the pads underneath, revealing his naked, chiseled torso. He continues to disrobe as he removes his cleats and socks, leaving only his fitted, elastic football pants.

He then walks back up to the bed, eyeing Sabrina.

"You're telling me you can resist this?" he asks as he shows off his body. He stands tall with his rugged body as if posing for a modeling photo shoot. Derek notices that all three of the girls are staring, transfixed by the sight.

"Oh, come on!" yells Derek. "Don't fall for this crap! He's a _monster_."

The Jock turns away from Sabrina and stands in front of the gang.

"Maaan, could you like, put your clothes back on?" asks the Slacker, trying to look away. The Jock ignores him.

"Look at the four of you," says the Jock. "What a bunch of losers."

"Excuse me?" says Vicky, finally breaking her concentration from the Jock's perfect body.

"You heard me," responds the Jock. "You spend all of your worthless time studying as if it's going to get you somewhere. It's pointless. When you graduate, you're just going to look back on college with regret, wishing you had loosened up."

Vicky tries to form a response, but deep down knows that what he is saying has some truth. She lowers her head in shame and begins to tear up. The Jock then turns towards the Slacker.

"And you're just some pot-head nobody," he says. "You have a girlfriend that lives hours away? Hah! You probably haven't gotten laid in years! You just sit around all day and smoke your troubles away. Where has that gotten you?"

Like Vicky, the Slacker can't think of a good response, and looks away. The Jock then turns towards Jade.

"How much have you had to drink since you got here, huh?" he asks. "You're just like all the other brain-dead chicks on this campus. You think you're doing something good with your life in that stupid sorority of yours, but all you're good for is a hot body and a quick hook-up."

Jade also cannot find the words to speak as a tear forms under her eye. Finally, the Jock turns to Derek.

"And you. You're a junior in college and you've never had a girl, never been laid, and probably have never been kissed. I know you're jealous of me, as you should be. What do you do all day? Oh that's right…you probably just sit at your computer and masturbate." He cracks his neck and knuckles, then continues,

" So _I'm_ the monster? No…I'm the only one here who's living life."

Derek stares straight back at the Jock's eyes. His mind and heart become clouded with rage.

"Now if you four will excuse me, I have some work to do," says the Jock as he returns to his bed. Sabrina tries to keep herself as far away from him as she can, pushing herself up against the headboard that she's tied to.

Derek manages to control his rage and turns to his friends, who all have their heads hung low in shame.

"We can't let him get to us," he says. "I thought all of you were dead but we're all here. We've come so far…"

The Slacker shakes his head.

"He's right, man. I'm a nobody. It's no use dude."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Derek," says Jade. "We're only here because he wants us to be. It's over."

Derek then looks over to Vicky.

"I'm guessing you're giving up too?" he asks.

Vicky says nothing as she stares back at him. She looks deep into his eyes for a few moments.

"Not quite," she says, then she turns her attention back towards the Jock, who is now practically on top of Sabrina.

"Hey, jerkface!" she yells. The Jock looks over. "I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole!"

"What the hell are you doing?" asks Jade.

The Jock gets off of Sabrina and heads back towards Vicky.

"I don't know," replies Vicky. "But I guess we'll all find out in a second."

"What did you just say to me?" asks the Jock, ready to ring her neck. Vicky tries to run, forgetting that the shackles are still tight around her ankles. The Jock grabs her by the throat and starts to choke her. However, a plume of dense smoke bombards his face, and he stumbles back coughing.

"What…the hell…" he says in-between coughs. The Slacker stands with a joint in his hands.

"Damn dude, I almost forgot about this blunt," he says as he takes another hit, blowing more smoke towards the Wicked Jock. "Always got an emergency stash in my jacket."

The Jock recovers and begins forming a ball of dark energy in his hands.

"You're all screwed now. I've had my fun," he says.

"Uh…I've got nothing!" shouts Derek. He reaches over and nudges Jade. "You've got to do something!"

Jade panics as the Jock takes aim at the group.

"Oh god! I…I don't know! All I have is this!" she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small bottle of alcohol.

"I don't care, give it to me!" shouts Derek. Jade frantically passes it over to him, and Derek aims and throws the bottle at the Jock. The small bottle whacks him in the shoulder, shattering on impact and splashing the contents all over him. He barely flinches, but the surprise is enough to break his concentration and the dark energy ball he was about to throw disappears.

"You little twerp!" he shouts. Just as he's about to sock Derek in the face, he grabs his shoulder in pain, and steam starts to rise from where liquid spilled on him.

"What is this? What have you done?" he asks. The gang all look on in shock as the steam grows thicker, and a loud hissing sound is heard.

"What was in that bottle?" Derek asks Jade.

"Uh, I think that was just some strawberry vodka," she says.

"No!" shouts the evil Jock. "This can't be! I don't let any fruity drinks in here!"

"Of course!" shouts Derek excitedly. "You know what your problem is, Mr. Jock? You are so obsessed with being strong and manly. You try so hard to keep up this reputation of being a tough guy. That reputation is all you have. Contact with anything that threatens your manliness is enough to destroy you."

The Jock goes to grab Derek, but he finds that he can no longer move his arm. When he lifts up the hand grabbing onto his shoulder, long strings of flesh-colored goo cling onto it. He stares at his hand in shock as the goo drips to the floor.

"My beautiful body," he says. "I'm…I'm melting!"

Sabrina, Vicky, the Slacker, Jade, and Derek all can't help watching the grisly sight before them. The Jock's entire arm begins to lose shape, and soon the rest of his body appears to liquefy. His once-perfectly muscular body now resembles a wax statue that's been placed in the oven.

"I can't believe this! I'm melting! How could a couple of losers like you destroy me? ME! The Wicked Jock of the West!" he continues to shout. A large puddle forms underneath him as he sinks lower and lower.

"What a wooooorlldd!"

His voice trails off into a high pitch and the steam rapidly fills the entire room, blinding everyone in it. The hissing of the steam comes to a halt, and all that can be heard is a gurgling, bubbly noise. The dark shackles around the gang's feet fade away, as well as the ropes tying Sabrina to the bed. They all do their best to navigate through the thick steam, gathering together in a circle around where the Jock was once standing. The steam slowly fades away, revealing a large, gelatinous puddle of tan goo on the ground, with a soggy pair of pants in the middle.

The group stands shocked with all of their jaws hanging down in disbelief. The main doors burst open and a large platoon of guards rushes in and surrounds them.


End file.
